To create and share something that grows in the heart and mind of the reader, we must either know the reader inside out (rarely the case) or understand human nature, or at least understand one aspect of human nature that our audience shares in common, inside out (difficult, but not impossible).

One thing that all of us can appreciate is clarity. We don’t want to feel inadequate or stupid because we have trouble understanding or comprehending something. Rather, we want to feel good and when things are easily comprehended we feel good, because it validates something within us. For that reason, clear communication can be created simply by focusing on clarifying the thought being conveyed. But that doesn’t complete the process.

Once the clear communication has been created it needs to be transmitted and that’s where I feel empathy comes in: if we empathize with the person on the other end — if we put ourselves in their shoes — we will transmit that communication in such a way that it respects the receiver.